A/N: I'm never going to get tired of saying this: you guys are absolutely awesome. Your support for this story is very motivational; keep it up. Now I know that Sasuke's pairing options were limited. I had my reasons for that. Naruto and Dante however have more options; specially thanks to you all. The same rules apply; review your choice of pairing. Thank you all for your reviews, you all make writing this story worth it.
Dreamy-Girl2016: I'm glad you liked it.
Yutyrannus: Thanks for your vote and your support. Regardless of how the votes go Hayate will remain an important part of Yugao's life. His will to keep striving forward despite his illness is nothing short of remarkable.
111segasonic: Yeah you're right. The classics are always good.
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FoxFromSpace: Lolz I'm happy you enjoyed the story. Stick around it gets much better.
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Polls
Sakura: 4
Yugao: 4
Chapter 13
"The first part of choosing great people is to analyse your own strengths and weaknesses. That gives you an idea of where your needs are the greatest. The goal is to balance your weaknesses with the strength of others, then to evaluate the team overall." – Rudolph W. Giuliani
Dante was lounging on a roof, enjoying the scenery one last time. He couldn't take his eyes off the ruby amulet lazily hanging on his neck. That day he found it; it was three times this size. It took blood, sweat and tears to synthesise the crystal, literally. Putting the seal on the crystal had been the easy part; he had to place the gem on his heart. That was where the synthesising gem would draw the wearer's blood, life-force and chakra. Once the process was over the gem could be any size the wearer chose it to be: that's why Rosalia could use her crystal has a throne and still be connected to it.
'Dead and yet you're still one badass chick' thought Dante
The synthesis process turned out to be far tougher than he expected. The crystal constantly drained chakra and blood from their bodies. So to compensate they had to keep training and eating excessively, just to stay alive. Thankfully after they saved Taft the mayor was more than happy to accommodate their every need. However their nutrition wasn't the hardest part of the synthesis process; that price goes to the fatigue. You see what the textbooks left out that in order for the crystal to fully synthesise they had to draw on the wearer's will to survive.
'Bloody historians should be gutted for nearly killing us'
He wasn't mad about working hard. The reason for his ire was very simple: the crystal drew on their chakra and blood sugar. Compensating for both those things would have been easy if they didn't feel so tired. Everything that was so easy to do became a chore. There were so many times that Dante wanted to say screw it and throw the crystal away. However he knew that that would be suicide. At the end of the day, it came down to how badly they wanted to survive. Yugao was an angel during those times; she took very good care of them. She was also the one who encouraged them the most; especially when they couldn't even believe in themselves.
'She really is one of the good ones. It's easy to see why the old man trusts her so much.'
However as happy as he is that the process was finally over, he remembered something this morning that put that happiness on hold. They were all turning 8 soon and that means so was someone else: Karin. Truth be told, he was indifferent to the red-head; even though her existence enabled Kabuto master to Sage Mode. As far as personality goes Karin was not on his list of characters that stood out much. However if his memory was correct then this is when her mother dies. While he didn't care much for Karin; her handler was one of the people Dante wanted to carve a hole into. The chance to save a damsel in distress had nothing to do with his decision; absolutely nothing.
'Also if I can get her and her mother out of Grass; then Orochimaru never finds her. Of course Kabuto could still master the Sage Mode and unleash his Reanimation Jutsu. But the chance of tearing that bastard handler a new one is very tempting.'
Dante's first problem was explaining the plan to his team. He was not crazy enough to break into Grass by himself. Of course it will have to wait until after the trip was over. The plan was to take a detour on their way back to Konoha. Of course while Naruto will be all for rescuing a damsel in distress; Sasuke will not be happy about breaking into enemy territory. But then again;
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAANTEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" roared Sasuke
…that's what made it fun.
Naruto was eating some last minute ramen when he heard Sasuke's roar of rage. He just laughed and kept eating. Just as he dropped his 15th bowl of ramen his opal amulet clicked against the bowl. The noise drew his attention to the jewel that changed his whole life. While he went through the same pain that Sasuke and Dante went through; his own experience had its own personal twist. It started about two days after they started the synthesise process. Every night his dreams were filled with same terrifying image: enraged red eyes surrounded by pitch blackness.
"Wow that's a new record" said the ramen chef "Would you like anymore Naruto-san?"
Naruto smiled cheerfully "No thanks"
The ramen chef gazed intently at him. After six months Naruto's appetite for ramen was known city-wide. And considering what the blonde and his friends had done for them the man was more than happy to make more, especially since this will be their last day in Taft.
"Are you sure?"
Naruto laughed "Well I would love to eat more but my friends and I will be heading out soon"
The chef nodded sadly "I hope you all come back for a visit someday"
Smirking Naruto paid the bill.
"Don't worry I'll definitely come back. Your ramen is too good to resist ttebayo."
The ramen chef laughed. Naruto unlike his friends was so simple; it was refreshing. The blonde will definitely be missed.
"Have a safe trip Naruto-san"
Naruto gave him a thumbs-up.
"Thanks; later"
Naruto felt really bad about leaving Taft; their ramen was so good. His thoughts however wondered back to his amulet and what the synthesis process caused. The nightmares continued for weeks but Naruto didn't want to worry his friends so he kept quiet about it. That is of course until everything changed. He will never forget that particular day. He and Sasuke were doing some light sparring when out of nowhere rage consumed him. He still can't remember the full details but apparently red chakra had seeped out of him and he nearly took Sasuke's head off. Thankfully though Yugao was there to knock him out; that was the day he finally learnt why the villagers in Konoha hated him.
Flashback
Yugao was worried. Naruto had just come to and she knew that it was time to tell him the truth. She had no idea how he or his friends would take it though. Not to mention that the penalty for revealing this secret was extremely high. However as she saw the look in Naruto's eyes she knew that she couldn't hide it anymore. She just hoped that Naruto handled the information well; she will take whatever punishment the Hokage dished out.
"Naruto take a seat, you guys too. There is something that you all need to know."
Dante knew that this was the moment of truth. The reason he hadn't been able to tell Naruto the truth is because there was no way for him to explain where the information came from. He knew that Yugao was taking a huge risk right now; he swore to make sure that nothing happened to her. For now though he needed to be here for Naruto. Naruto was staring at Yugao with such confusion and hope in his eyes that Dante didn't know how he would take the truth.
Yugao sighed "there is no easy way to say; so I'm just going to come out and say it. Naruto you are the Kyuubi Jinchuriki"
Dante deadpanned.
'Talk about ripping the bandage right off' thought Dante
Naruto blinked, and then blinked again.
"Wait I'm the what?" asked Naruto "What's a Jinchuriki?"
'Here comes the hard part' thought Yugao
"In simple terms, a Jinchuriki is a human vessel that houses a Bijuu"
Naruto went perfectly still. It was clear that his brain was trying very hard to process what he just heard. Dante had to give it to Yugao; she really didn't beat around the bush. Sasuke saw that Naruto needed some questions answered but his brain couldn't handle that just yet.
"So when the Third said that the Fourth killed the Kyuubi"
"He lied" Yugao bluntly said "As far as we know there is no way to kill a Bijuu. The only option the Fourth had was to seal the Kyuubi inside a new-born baby"
"Me" whispered Naruto "That's why they hate me; they think I'm the Kyuubi"
Yugao knelt in front of Naruto and stared him dead in the eye.
"You are Uzumaki Naruto; you may house a Bijuu but you are not him, understand?"
"But why me?" asked Naruto "Why did the Fourth choose me? Was it because I was an orphan?"
Yugao sighed "I don't know"
"Well maybe he believed in you, I don't think it's because you were just an orphan" said Dante
Naruto closed his eyes. The Fourth had always been his hero. He tried to picture the man now, on that night, face to face with the Kyuubi. Naruto realized that the Fourth couldn't have picked him randomly. The amount of time the Fourth had to make a plan was limited; the man was too smart to just pick some random kid. No the Yondaime Hokage had entrusted his will to him. He was the one thing that kept the Kyuubi from breaking free and destroying the village. There was no doubt that he was pissed at the man, but he respected him.
"Naruto are you okay?" asked Yugao
Naruto smiled "I'm okay Yugao-nee-chan. This stupid fox may be the reason the village hates me but it also brought me my best friends. I don't know why the Fourth chose me but I won't let him down. Besides I'm not going to let some grumpy old fox prevent me from becoming Hokage."
Flashback end
Naruto smirked. Life wasn't easy and it wasn't going to be any easier. However his hero had entrusted him with the protection of the village and he will not fail. Besides now that he knows why the village hates him it was just a matter of changing their minds. He already had the support of his friends and their families, not to mention Yugao. So would becoming Hokage be difficult? Yes. Was it impossible? Not if he anything to say about it.
'Now let's see what Sasuke was screaming about' thought Naruto
Yugao was confused. When she came into the boys' room she expected to see some sort of disaster. The strain of the synthesis process had prevented Dante from pulling his usual stunts. So when she heard Sasuke's roar she wasn't surprised. However when she entered the room she didn't see anything out of order. Sasuke was in a bathrobe wearing his amethyst amulet; he was writing something in a scroll. His calm expression was not what she was expecting at all.
"Sasuke what are you writing?"
"Dante's funeral arrangements"
He said it so calmly; like Dante was already dead as far as he was concerned. Now she was very curious; the time between his roar and her arrival wasn't long. So there is no way that Sasuke would have been able to clean up a Dante level prank; so if he didn't clean it up…
"What did Dante do?"
Sasuke visibly twitched in anger. She saw him take a deep breath and look up at her.
"Check my pack" gritted Sasuke
'Oh boy' thought Yugao
The look in Sasuke's eyes was pure murderous. Turning she opened up Sasuke's pack and she understood why Sasuke wanted blood. Dante had dyed all of Sasuke's clothes pink; that wasn't even the worst part. All the clothes were covered in glitter with the words 'Duck Power' written on them; a reference to Sasuke's hair style. It took everything Yugao had not to laugh hysterically when she pictured Sasuke wearing these clothes.
"Wow Sasuke I knew you loved pink, but that's just wow ttebayo"
Sasuke turned to give Naruto a withering glare; if looks could kill Naruto would be dead. However the blonde just gave Sasuke a cheeky grin; looking far too happy with himself; Sasuke could even see Yugao taking deep breaths to stem off laughing at him. Just as he bent down to continue his planning Dante walked in.
"Hey guys come on we're burning daylight"
Yugao had a smirk on her face as she turned to show Dante Sasuke's clothes. Dante of course just tilted his head in confusion;
"Sasuke you know that it's Girl Power right? Not Duck Power"
That did it. Sasuke screamed as he assaulted Dante; Yugao and Naruto laughed through it all. While squeezing Dante's neck Sasuke said
"You owe me an entirely new wardrobe"
"Ack-I-ugh"
"Hahaha um Sas-Sasuke I don't think a corpse can purchase clothes for you" said Yugao
After attempting to beat the insanity out of Dante; the group went off to buy Sasuke some new clothes. Of course Dante made it a point to piss Sasuke off by denying he was responsible for the clothing incident. Needless to say, no one believed him. Once that matter was attended to, the group said goodbye to Taft.
On the road
"So what's the plan?" asked Yugao
Dante pouted "I refuse to lead minions who don't believe my innocence"
Naruto smirked "Okay Dante, you really want us to believe that you didn't pull that prank on Sasuke?"
Dante harrumphed "You should have more faith in me"
Yugao smiled meaningfully. She looked Dante in the eyes;
"So you did not ruin Sasuke's clothes?"
Dante scratched his cheek.
"Well I didn't say that. I'm just saying that you shouldn't have judged me so quickly."
"We are going to Alne" stated Sasuke
Dante blinked.
"Um Sasu-chan Alne is known for her outdoor springs and hotel resorts. She became a famous city because of her appeal to newlyweds. So unless there's something you're not telling us…"
Sasuke just ignored Dante's suggestive remark. He had a hidden smile on his face. It had taken some work to come up with a training exercise that suits his desire for revenge against Dante and Naruto. But he had finally done it; it was payback time.
"Oi Teme what are we going to do in Alne ttebayo"
"We are going to use the outdoor springs…to meditate"
3. 2. 1.
"WHAT?!" roared Dante and Naruto
Sasuke smirked. If there is one thing he knew his friends despised above everything else; it is monotony. They thrived on adrenaline so the thought of sitting in one spot for six months mediating would be torture on their hyper nerves. Ah it really felt good to see them wearing the 'are you crazy look?' for once. Yugao turned her head to hide her smile. It seems that Sasuke was starting to fight back, and the boys did not like it.
Dante growled "Why would we meditate for six months?"
Sasuke adopted a confused expression.
"Is six months that long?"
Yugao hid her laugh with a cough.
"Ahem Sasuke perhaps you can explain your plan to us"
Sasuke was enjoying himself right now. Dante did not like that.
"For the past 18 months we have pushed our chakra capacity to the limit. I've done my research and I discovered that if we don't have at least six months of deep chakra mediation our chakra capacity will pay for it."
"Your 'research' wouldn't have discovered that if you weren't looking into it in the first place" gritted Naruto
Sasuke adopted a shocked posture.
"Are you trying to say that I purposely found that loophole just to torment you and Dante?"
"Yes" said Naruto
Sasuke shrugged unrepentantly.
"I regret nothing"
Dante took a deep breath. Perhaps there was a silver-lining to this.
"So like how many hours do we have to do this a day? Do we meditate and then train for a certain period to sharpen our skills?"
Sasuke smiled maliciously "Oh no there will be no training. There is only going to be meditation; we can't have our chakra relapsing in the middle of a fight. This will be fun, yeah?"
Naruto groaned in resignation. Oh he hated this plan but as evil as Sasuke was being Naruto knew Sasuke wouldn't suggest it if it wasn't the right thing to do.
"So how long is this 'thing' going to last?" asked Naruto
"Well it is just until our chakra network becomes clear and flexible again; it is like stretching after an exercise. I have a seal to determine that don't worry."
Dante smiled evilly "I am going to make the next six months a living hell for you Sasuke"
Sasuke smirked "That will make both of us Dante. Now let's head out shall we?"
Alne
Yugao did not like Alne. She could see nothing wrong with the city as they walked in; but her gut begged to differ. As an ANBU agent you learned how to depend on two things: your mission parameters and your gut. Considering she did not have any parameters to fall back on; her gut would have to do. The question is; why does her gut feel like something is wrong? The city of Alne was everything she imagined it to be: lovey-dovey.
"Are you okay Yugao-nee-chan?" asked Naruto
While Naruto was not the sharpest tool in the box, he had a knack for knowing when his friend's mood changes. So when Yugao went silent Naruto noticed. Of course when the inquiry was asked Sasuke and Dante immediately started to scan their environment for the problem. They didn't find anything wrong.
"It is probably nothing Naruto" said Yugao "I just have this feeling in my gut that something's not right"
"That's all we need to know" stated Sasuke "I guess Alne has her dark side then"
"So seeing as how you picked the city; do you think this is our fault?" asked Dante
"Absolutely"
Despite the feeling of foreboding in her stomach; Yugao couldn't help but smile at how much the boys trusted her. They really are her friends. So the first task is to find out what is wrong; then they will know how to deal with it. With that purpose in mind the group spent the day trying to find an anomaly; they didn't find any. It was late in the evening that they had break in the case. On their walk back to their hotel they saw a figure beckoning to them from a dark alley.
"Yeah that is not creepy at all" said Dante
Yugao made sure to check for traps, but the person calling them had civilian chakra. So they followed after the cloaked figure; they were escorted through the back of a hotel. When they entered the figure turned on the light; letting them know that they were in a storage room.
"Are you them?"
Dante blinked. Apparently their escort was female, but who did she think they were. They were so many smart answers to that question too.
"We are who we are" said Dante sagely "Who do you think we are?"
"Are you the four wanderers?"
Dante blinked and blinked again.
"No just no" gritted Dante "I will never answer to that, never ever"
The figure titled her head in confusion. Yugao decided to take charge; while Dante went on a rant about the lack of creativity in that name. It contained words that no eight year old child should ever know.
"We are the four wanderers" said Yugao
Yugao of course ignored the withering glare that Dante turned to give her. They needed information on what was going on in the city. Dante would just have to learn to stomach the name. The admission seemed to work as the figure pulled her hood back. Yugao could guess she was 20 years or so; she had short dark hair and green eyes. The lady was beautiful; the question is what information did she have for them?
"My name is Mayu" said Mayu "are you really them?"
"Yes we are" said Yugao "Now how can we help you?"
Mayu sighed in relief. When she saw them enter the city, she didn't know what to think. However word on the street is that they were looking into the city's problems. That is when she knew she had to talk to them.
"It is our mayor" said Mayu "He has put the city under his thumb"
"What do you mean under his thumb?" asked Sasuke
"The position of mayor is left up to the city council. They have the power to appoint and remove any mayor. However, when this one came into power he ensured that that power was taken away from them."
"Wait so what does that mean?" asked Naruto "You're not making any sense"
Sasuke sighed. Sometimes Naruto's intelligence was a pain in the neck. Turning to him he said
"She means that Alne is now being run by a tyrant"
"Yes that's what I mean" said Mayu "I don't know how he did it, but a few weeks after he was elected half of the council were imprisoned"
"For what?" asked Dante "They had to have committed an offense, right?"
"That's what we thought" said Mayu "There was evidence of conspiracy and human trafficking in their offices"
"Wait I heard about that" said Yugao "the suspected council members were meant to face trial in the Capitol but they were killed en route."
Yugao of course could not say that her ANBU unit had been first on the scene. They found the caravan destroyed and the bodies of the council scattered about. The scene suggested that they were attacked by bandits, who were looking to make some money. Dante had calmed down from his rant to listen to what was being said.
"With half their power gone the council were at the mayor's mercy" said Mayu
"And let me guess" said Dante "He showed none"
Mayu shook her head sadly. Naruto approached her and held her hands. She looked up to see the most sensitive determined blue eyes staring at her. She didn't know why, but she felt like everything was going to be okay. Yugao smiled; Naruto really is something special. Dante of course just had to make it weird.
"We are gathered here today to join this lady and this child in holy matrimony"
Naruto growled at Dante. However it had the desired effect; it made Mayu laugh, just a bit. Sasuke just rolled his eyes; he had long since given up on Dante having any kind of manners. The lunatic was rude to a fault, although Dante's manners were not important right now.
"Mayu-san what happened after that?" asked Sasuke
Dante groaned "You are a real spoil sport you know that Sasu-chan?"
Sasuke could feel the desire to see Dante's corpse tugging at his mind. Thankfully Yugao intervened
"Ma, ma can we focus please?" asked Yugao "Mayu-san if you would?"
"Of course" said Mayu "The mayor, Ichirou, went on to dispose of the remaining council members one after another. Their deaths were all made to look like accidents or suicides. When that happened people started to protest against the number of accidents. However those people died soon after under mysterious circumstances. Ichirou-san is always so sad when there is a death in the city. He claims that he only wants what is best for the city, but…"
Naruto couldn't believe what he was hearing. The fact that Ichirou was the leader of Alne made the crime even worse. Leaders are supposed to love and care for those under their care, not kill them. This Ichirou guy needed to be taught a lesson. Of course his friends could read his mind and they couldn't just let him run off half-cocked.
"Dobe whatever you're planning cancel it" said Sasuke "Not even Dante can get away with killing the mayor of a major city without proof"
Naruto growled. He grabbed hold of Sasuke's shirt and glared hotly at him
"This bastard deserves to be beaten into a bloody pulp" gritted Naruto "He is a joke; leaders are supposed to help their people not kill them"
"Think about this for a second you idiot" ground-out Sasuke "Attacking the mayor of Alne is only going to cause more harm than good"
Naruto snarled "We don't have time to form a full-proof plan dattebayo"
Yugao's mind was already coming up with a plan, but there is something she needed to know first.
"Mayu-san I know most cities have contingencies in case something like this happens. Do you know what Alne's contingency plan for this is?"
"Hai" said Mayu "In the event that the council is eliminated, the mayor is required to form a new council. But he refuses to do that"
"He probably wants to consolidate all power to himself" said Dante "With no council telling him what to do he is free to do as he pleases"
"My next question is what happens if the mayor is taken out of office?" asked Yugao "Would there be a mad scramble for power? Or is there a structure in place?"
Naruto was losing his patience. Who knows what the jerk was planning right now?
"Why is that important?" asked Naruto
Dante smirked "well Whisker-chan we need to know what will happen to Alne when we 'retire' their mayor"
Mayu eyes grew downcast.
"I'm sorry I don't know" said Mayu "All I know is that the people are living in fear of their lives. Please I don't know much but I know that we need help."
Naruto growled and took off.
"Naruto!" shouted Yugao "Geez"
Dante smirked "Well I wish I could say I'm surprised"
Yugao sighed "Dante go after him; I won't ask the impossible and say you should stop him. Just prevent him from killing the mayor, at least until Sasuke and I show up"
Dante saluted her and took off after Naruto. Sasuke turned to Yugao
"You have a plan?"
"Yes I do" said Yugao "Mayu-san you stay here okay?"
Mayu's eyes glistened.
"Thank you so much"
Yugao nodded and they took off.
Xxxx
Naruto hated it. The look on Mayu's face made him sick. That bastard of a leader had taken the hopes of his people and ruined it. He could feel his fists clenching in rage. When he got his hands on the joke of a mayor he was going to get it. Naruto was too pissed off to bother sneaking into the Mayor's home; so he decided to knock
"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough"
The small guards in the mansion were too stunned to stop him from entering. Naruto growled he needed to find that Ichirou jerk now.
"Ichirou!" shouted Naruto "Where are you?!"
Dante sighed from behind him. He activated his Beacon and found their target in some kind of underground basement. What is it with bad guys and their underground bases? He passed the information to Naruto who blew a hole in the ground right in front of the already scared guards. Dante smiled maliciously at them;
"Gentlemen you have two options: you can leave now or we can have some fun"
Of course no one stuck around after that; it wasn't like they had any real loyalty to their mayor. Dante actually pouted when he saw them leave. He was hoping that some of them would stick around; oh well. He decided to jump into the room and check in on Naruto. However knowing the blonde, he would not want to share.
'Life can so cruel sometimes' thought Dante
The basement was more or less a dojo with dim lighting. Naruto found his target sitting down at the centre of it. Ichirou had a lean build with a sword strapped to his back. He didn't even look fazed when Naruto popped in; well Naruto would have to bust his calm face in. Just before he charged Dante held him back. Turning to glare at him was halted when Ichirou stood up
"I will give you one chance to walk away"
Dante smirked. It was so much more fun when the bad guy thinks he has the upper hand. While Dante knew that Naruto would not be held back for long; he wanted to relish in seeing Ichirou's calm face turn to shock. Hey he had to get his fun somehow.
"There is no way we will leave" growled Naruto "Do you have any idea of what you've done?"
"Explaining my devotion to this city to a child is meaningless" said Ichirou "Do not make me repeat myself"
Naruto was floored.
"Devotion" whispered Naruto "You really believe that you are devoted to your village?"
When he remembered Mayu's anguished face; his rage returned in full force. The fact that Ichirou just stood there, all calm and sure; despite all the lives he has taken incensed Naruto even further. He fought against Dante's hold on him; he had to teach this bastard a lesson right now!
"Let me go Dante!"
Ichirou sighed and grasped his sword.
"You stand no chance against me boy"
Dante smirked when he heard that. Calmly he drew a kunai and threw it at Ichirou; a clang was heard instead of a squish. Ichirou smiled cockily at their futile attempts to attack him.
"This is my falcon sword" declared Ichirou "It is an ultimate blade. No human eye can track my blade's movement."
Ichirou uncoiled his sword and then proceeded to spin around himself like a whip. The purpose of the demonstration was to intimidate them into giving up. But Dante just smirked and let Naruto go. He and Naruto charged Ichirou together. The fool smirked and tried to slash them up; keyword being: tried. The next second Ichirou dropped to the ground: his arms rendered injured and useless.
"How did you do that?" asked an astonished Ichirou "My falcon sword is unstoppable. It helped me maintain peace in my village."
Naruto growled as he grabbed Ichirou collar. His usual cheerful blue eyes; were darkened by rage.
"You slaughtered your people!" shouted Naruto "And you call that maintaining peace?!"
"I only did what had to be done" declared Ichirou
"They were innocent people who trusted you to lead them" gritted Naruto "Instead you not only killed them but you marred their memory by turning them into criminals"
Ichirou refused to have his conviction questioned by a brat. He glared hotly at Naruto.
"You don't know anything about me or my city!" gritted Ichirou "I am the only one who truly cares for them"
That was the straw that broke Naruto's patience. He sent his fist into Ichirou's face sending the man into the opposing wall.
"What kind of leader kills his own people?!" asked an indignant Naruto "Nothing is worth the lives you took so stop joking around!"
Ichirou tasted blood in his mouth. Staring into the raging blue eyes in front of him, he felt that age-old anger rearing its head again. Standing up Ichirou looked Naruto dead in the eyes;
"The council has always held this city back. Decisions that impact the city and its people are done so slowly that help comes too late. While they are busy discussing lives were being affected. The council is a cancer that needed to be removed so that the village could thrive!"
Naruto blinked "You killed dozens of people, for that?"
"Thirteen years ago my sister was taken hostage by bandits. I requested a rescue team to save her; all I asked for was a few men and weapons. But the council took two days vetting my request and by the time we got there she was already dead. The bandits had raped her and then killed her. She was my little sister!"
"So you decided to get revenge?" asked Naruto
Ichirou shook his head.
"No I did what I did to save this city. With the council gone decisions will now be made swiftly and no one will suffer the pain I suffered"
Naruto was literally shaking in rage right now.
"You-You think that you're a hero?!" screamed Naruto "You took the lives of everyone on that council in your hands. You are no saviour you are a murderer and a coward!"
Ichirou refused to swallow that.
"WHAT WOULD YOU DO IN MY SHOES HUH?! YOU'RE JUST A SPOILED BRAT WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT PAIN!"
Even Dante winced from the haymaker Naruto hit Ichirou with. It was brutal;
'I really should carry popcorn in a storage scroll for times like this' thought Dante
Naruto grabbed Ichirou's collar and shook him violently
"You claim that you will never put your people through your pain yet what do you think the families of the council members you killed are feeling right now"
Ichirou's head was spinning. But he was able to hear what Naruto was saying;
"Their sacrifice would benefit the city"
"YOU BASTARD; YOUR SISTER DIED A VICTIM'S DEATH BUT YOU RUINED THE MEMORY OF THEIR LOVED ONES FOREVER! DID YOU EVEN THINK ABOUT THEM?! YOU PLANNED TO HAVE THEM GO THROUGH THAT HELL!"
Ichirou refused to go down that road. When he made this decision to kill the council members he didn't think of their families. He refused to think about them; the thought would break his conviction and he couldn't have that. He was just about to bury those thoughts when Naruto said;
"YOU'RE WORSE THAN THE BANDITS WHO KILLED YOUR SISTER!"
Ichirou was bombarded with images of his little sister. The years without her were hell; the guilt he carried for not being able to save her ate at him. When he chose to go down this road he told himself that it was to prevent another tragedy. But as he stared into Naruto's pained eyes he was forced to admit the real reason: it was revenge. After the council was dead the only reason he killed his detractors is because they offered him a new target for the hole in his heart. The realization hurt more than his body right now. Naruto saw the tears forming in his eyes and he hated it
"You have no right to cry" gritted Naruto "Not until you pay for what you've done"
Ichirou sighed. He thought Naruto was going to kill him. To be honest he definitely deserved it;
"Go ahead" said Ichirou
Naruto shook his head and sighed. He let go off his collar
"I am not going to kill you" said Naruto "You will face justice for your crimes at the hands of the people you betrayed"
Dante smirked. Now that was worse than death. The people will not be happy with him at all. Ah it really was fun to watch Naruto beat the sense into bad people; the environment was always packed with energy.
"Well at least you didn't let the mayor die"
"Sasu-chan you're back"
Yugao observed the destruction and the mayor. It seemed that Naruto had gotten through him. Naruto noticed that Yugao and Sasuke were here. When he approached them Yugao gave him a document for the mayor to sign. It was a transfer of power.
"Originally I planned to force him to do it" said Yugao "However seeing as you got through to him, you can tell him to sign it."
"Once that's done we will turn him over to the city's guards and show them their new mayor" said Sasuke
Naruto nodded then he looked very sheepish.
"Um Yugao-nee-chan I know I ran off but"
Yugao smiled "Don't worry about it Naruto"
Naruto smiled in relief. As for Sasuke he just stuck his tongue at him and ran off to have Ichirou instate Mayu as mayor. He really liked it when everything worked out.
Six months later
Yugao smiled at the happy faces they left behind in Alne. After the city changed mayor that night the heavy atmosphere lifted. The families of the council members had finally been able to truly put their loved ones to rest. Mayu had been stunned beyond belief when she presented her with the mayor's position. It had taken a lot of fast talking and encouragement to get her to accept but once she did; she soared. Mayu had proven to be a natural leader and her new council supported her. Ichirou was imprisoned for his crimes. However Mayu had taken note of his backstory and she was determined to ensure the council were better equipped to handle emergencies.
As for the boys training, it was entertaining to say the least. Yugao had lost count of how many times Dante and Naruto broke their concentration just to prank Sasuke. They were not happy with Sasuke's calm and Dante, especially, made it his personal mission to break it. Of course Sasuke would just smirk cockily at them; to show his superiority. That just made the boys as mad as a hornet. They somehow managed to make meditation a competition; it was hilarious. However the exercise did what it should so in the end it was worth it.
When they left Yugao was thinking of how much she would miss them. ANBU missions were long and hard and she had been missing for two years now. The sheer amount of missions she would have to run when she got back was daunting to say the least. However Dante apparently had a detour in mind for them; her eyes bugged out when she heard it. And she was not the only one that was shocked;
"Care to repeat that?" asked Sasuke
"I said we need to break into Grass" said Dante
Sasuke was agape. He blinked and he blinked again. He even pinched himself to be sure he wasn't dreaming. When the image did not dispel Sasuke exploded
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN BREAK INTO GRASS?!"
Dante sighed exasperatedly. Sasuke was such a drama queen sometimes. Oh well. Dante shrugged absently
"It means that we sneak into Grass and then sneak out again"
Naruto had finally regained his bearings. He knew Dante was very serious;
"But why?" whined Naruto
"Well because there is someone in Grass we need to break out" stated Dante
Yugao knew that she shouldn't ask. She shouldn't even entertain the idea; the political ramifications would be hell. But still;
"And you know this how?"
Dante adopted a thoughtful posture: arms folded and eyes closed.
"Hmm honestly, it's a hunch"
Sasuke face-palmed
"You want us to break into enemy territory on a hunch, are you crazy?"
When he saw Dante's smirk he changed his mind
"Don't answer that"
Dante pouted "But I had a really good answer"
Yugao pinched the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath
"Dante we can't just break into Grass on a whim" said Yugao "If we are caught the backlash would be severe"
At this point Dante had two options: continue this back and forth or use an unhanded tactic to get his way. Yeah that was a hard decision to make.
"We trusted your gut Uzuki-san, and now you can't return the favour?" chided Dante "For shame"
Yugao deadpanned. Dante was not fooling her with that act. However she could see that this was important to him; for reasons he couldn't disclose. Her time in ANBU made her familiar with the term need-to-know; she just had to trust Dante. Sasuke was not going to like this; not one bit. Sighing in resignation she said;
"You can tell us what information you have on the road there"
Sasuke turned to gape at her. Surely she wasn't serious about this. Sneaking into ally territory could be explained but not enemy territory. What possible reason could she have for doing this? Sasuke was just about to decline 'politely' when Yugao gave him a look. He knew that look: please just trust me on this. He groaned; sometimes he hated how much she could convince him to do. Shaking his head he shrugged
"Fine let's get this over with"
Naruto blinked "Does no one want to know my stance on this?"
They all stared at him for two seconds, and then they took off. Naruto scowled
"Stupid jerks"
Grass Country - South Border
It was late in the night. Four figures sped pass the border patrol without incident; thanks to a certain ANBU. Their target was the Grass Hospital situated at the centre of Kusagakure; although the reason was unclear to three of them. It took a lot of work but they were able to locate the hospital the next night. They had been able to position themselves in strategic places with the best view of the hospital doors. Apparently their intended target was supposed to walk through them soon.
Dante could barely contain his excitement. Their information gathering in the village had been most fruitful. They had found that there were red-haired foreigners staying in the village. The Grass medical staff that they had 'interrogated' -they got him rip-roaring drunk- told them about their unique ability and how they were lucky they took them in. The drunken medic told them that the mother was dead and the child had taken over last night. It took everything Dante had not to kill him; the way he talked about Karin's dead mother made him sick. However Dante had bigger fish to fry, literally. From his perch Dante saw the soon-to-be dead handler leave the hospital; he looked like he was on his way to get Karin.
'Perfect' thought Dante
He signalled his team: this was their target. They followed him silently to Karin's cabin. Yugao had made him promise to let her give the okay before he struck. So he waited for her to check their surroundings for any patrols or stranglers. When Dante heard a low whistle he knew that they were clear. It was time to have some fun. Just before Corpse [1] knocked on the door Dante charged him at full speed and knocked him out. Apparently Corpse wasn't much of a shinobi after all.
"W-Who are you?"
Dante looked up to see Karin. She looked so scared and frail; he could smell the stench of a dead body coming from the house. Dante called for his team and gave Karin his gentlest smile.
"We don't have a lot of time" said Dante "We want to get you out of here"
Karin blinked. They wanted to help her get out? How could she possibly trust them not to do the same thing to her? Her dead mother was still inside; hope was a luxury she could hardly afford right now.
"Of all the people in Kusa you pick me; why?"
His friends seemed content to let him deal with this one. While they knew the gist of what was going on, this is still Dante's mission. So it was up to him to handle this matter. Dante approached Karin; he didn't let the fact that she backed away in fear stop him. When he was close to her he said
"I came to Kusa for you. I can't tell you why but I can promise you this: no one will ever hurt you again."
Karin wanted to believe him, she really did. But she still had no idea who he is or if he could actually keep his promise. Her mother had promised to keep her safe and yet she couldn't.
"Prove it"
Dante had to bite the inside of his cheek when he saw Karin attempting to glare at him. Her bossy tone just came off as adorable. Instead he just pointed to Yugao's ANBU mask; apparently Karin knew what that meant. This time Dante couldn't keep the cocky smirk off his face.
"Believe me now?"
A few hours later a shinobi walked up to the foreigner's house to retrieve her. Instead he found their handler dead: he had been drenched in oil and set on fire. The autopsy showed that he was alive when the fire was lit.
Xxxx
Sasuke was not happy. It had taken them a day and a half to reach Fire Country. In that time Dante and Naruto had managed to get Karin to come out of her shell; their personality plus the fact that they were now safe made the redhead very happy. However as soon as her mood brightened she revealed a side to her that he didn't see coming. She was infatuated with Sasuke and she had no problem showing it. The best part is that Dante and Naruto kept encouraging her even though they knew it annoyed him. He couldn't just tell her off; she had just lost her mother after all. So he settled on ignoring them;
"Ne Sasuke-kun can I ride on your shoulders?" asked Karin
Naruto and Dante smirked petulantly
"Yeah Teme be a gentleman and let the lady ride on your shoulders"
"Don't mind his sour face Karin-chan just hop right on"
Watching Sasuke try to politely fend off Karin was the funniest thing Dante had ever seen. Well that is until he saw Yugao's finger twitch; when Karin jumped on Sasuke.
'Ho-ho-ho what do we have here?' thought Dante 'It appears Yugao doesn't like Sasuke getting attacked by his admirer. The question is: whether she sees him as a potential partner or as her little brother.'
Now the proper thing to do would be to give Yugao her space to figure things out; but where is the fun in that? Dante had just found another source of amusement until they reached Alne. They plan was to give Karin to Mayu and ask her to take care the redhead. So now whenever Karin grabbed Sasuke Dante made sure to send a smirk in Yugao's direction. Judging from the look on her face, she didn't know why she didn't like Karin touching Sasuke yet. But she did feel relieved when they dropped Karin off. Karin and Mayu had hit it off well; Dante wouldn't be surprised if Mayu started calling Karin her baby sister and vice versa.
'Kukukuku this is going to fun' thought Dante
Yugao didn't know why Dante sent her a mischievous smirk nor did she know why she felt so relieved that Karin was no longer with them as they headed back home. However her gut told her that Dante knew; and he was going to enjoy making her squirm. She still didn't understand why she felt so uncomfortable when Karin made advances at Sasuke. At first it had been amusing to watch but that changed when it turned physical. She had wanted to drag Karin away from Sasuke, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.
"So we're going home" said Naruto "Man I can't wait to see how everyone is doing"
'Yeah, home' thought Yugao 'Maybe I'm just feeling homesick'
A/N: That's that. Thank you all for reading. I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter. Since we have a tie for Sasuke's pairing, here's what we are going to do. The first vote for either Yugao or Sakura wins. That means the first person to vote for either girl will break the tie and that voter's choice will decide who Sasuke ends up with. These are the choices for Naruto and Dante.
Naruto:
Temari
Hinata
Tenten
Shion
Dante:
Samui
Anko
Ino
Shiho
[1]: I couldn't be bothered to find the guy's name.
See you all next chapter.
Dante out